Windows 2.x odd software

[krebizfan]

This post is a space holder until I get a couple of photos transferred over of some lesser known Windows 2 software. The products planned for inclusion are

Macrocalc - a programmable and graphing calculator emulator that handles most of the functions available to HP calculators made before 1990. Are any functions missing? I don't know the full HP line well enough to tell but the 500 page manual describes a lot of them. There will be a picture of the back cover since that has the only image showing the program in operation and one of the adorable mouse logo on the disk.

Prompt: File manager with file viewer. Just a picture of the disk because that was all I was sent. The disk doesn't indicate the most interesting aspect of it; directories were provided for both Windows 2 and Windows 3 versions.

Okna Desktop Set: A relatively simple PIM. Two photos are planned. One will show the integration of the tools into the menubar of the MSDOS Exec and the other will show the big button dialer application. I am not sure any previous dialer program had image buttons for calling emergency services.

 

[krebizfan]

Macrocalc is the proximate cause of this batch of blog posts. I saw several references to Macrocalc being a spreadsheet which it is not. It is a programmable graphing calculator and arguably the easiest program development environment for Windows 2. I have been having problems transferring some of the images done several months ago including the copy of the back cover which details capabilities in great detail. I may provide a follow up post with that information upon resolution. I am not including the Tape functions which are fairly obvious but a challenge to keep in a 640x480 window. No images of the graphing functions are included since my attempt did not result in the expected result. Follow up for that may also be provided once I remember how to do it correctly.

Meet Macrocalc

The influence of HP calculators is clearly shown through the inclusion of X, Y, Z, and T registers. The upper two rows of 6 buttons each are modifiable. The current view has the mathematical functions loaded. It is a bit strange that the Sqrt (square root) function is permanently loaded even if the function set omits square and other exponent buttons. The File menu is fairly standard except it omits an Exit command. The View button allows the alteration of the buttons. The next 5 menus lead to the entire list of included functions. Macro does the expected by running or editing macros.


To show how this works, a macro has been loaded. The lower window is the specialized editor showcasing all the functions available. The macro language itself mostly uses key labels but adds comments and dialog boxes befitting its operation on a computer.


Insert the first value.


The second value


Returned is the correct result.

Version number information for the curious. Tech support numbers should be invalid.

 

[krebizfan]

Slight addendum to Macrocalc

I wrote that the keys can be changed. Above is the default date calculation set. Permits the taking of the square root for Halloween for optimum candy acquisition.

A more detailed look at the editor and the actual programming language.


The strange secondary number pad providing additional buttons


What the tape records when running the HYPOT.MCM macro



Macrocalc includes help.

 

[krebizfan]

This should take little time to do because the product under consideration is Prompt. The developer of Prompt is Access Softek who wrote the other Windows 2 programming book.


Very standard file manager. The View Statistics option is active providing the disk usage bars in the left frame. The FLT files are supposed to allow peeking into graphics files; I don't have any that match so I can't test. It seems that while multiple folders can be open, those can only be from the same hard drive. The trash can will delete files dragged to it.


It has a file search function. Text searches were done by the partner product Dragnet.


Prompt has a built in file compression tool. Not very effective since text files are only 1/3 smaller after the compression. There is also an encryption option which I am not experimenting with.